Fast Takes with Fast Break: Ottawa vs Charlotte & Washington
Authors: Erin McCrady & Ben Mertens & Serena Monteiro
PC: Major League Quidditch
Ottawa
Ottawa’s roster, the same for both matchups, looks to be the strongest iteration of the team we’ve seen all season. Norbert Buenio and John Nicholson, both rostered for the first time this summer, bring some size and strength to a quaffle line that has at times struggled to make defensive stops. Alongside Darren Bell, who has already shown himself to be dangerous on quick transitions, look out for these two to create more of the hustle plays Ottawa has become known for.
In the half court, Ottawa will no doubt continue to rely on the stellar positioning of wing chasers Emily Naftel, Luiza Nicolae, and Hailey Yhap. Yhap in particular made herself a problem for Boston last weekend and will look to capitalize on any defense that leaves her unmarked around the hoops.
Ottawa will be traveling with a shorter beater bench than we’ve seen in previous matchups, which could prove a challenge in a marathon weekend against dynamic opponents. Like last weekend, we can expect to see a lot of Sean Barios and L.C. Dupont. The two entered the season as the only beaters with MLQ experience and have shown themselves as invaluable partners to newer members of the squad.
While Ottawa only has one snitch catch this season – an exciting first by Lucas Pawley – every one of their seekers has shown themselves capable of capitalizing on quick opportunities. With Pawley returning this weekend alongside the Naftel siblings, this seeker line could have an enormous impact on a tightly-contested East Division where tiebreakers could decide rankings.
Washington
The Admirals will be playing Ottawa as the first part of a back to back, with their games against Charlotte coming directly after, in both the matchups on Saturday. Needing a sweep against both teams to remain in the hunt for the division title, Washington may be looking ahead to those Charlotte games, but must not underestimate the Black Bears bringing their strongest roster of the season. Washington’s star beater pair of Bernardo Berges and Katryna Hicks are rostered only for the Charlotte series. In their place, we’ll get our first look at the beater pair of Kevin Florimon and Tori Nutt, who guided Virginia Tech to the finals of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship last fall. Look for Washington to ride this pair along with Colin Bourn and Diana Howard, who have mainly been snitch on pitch specialists, for the bulk of the Ottawa games, as well as the pair of Cameron Castilaw and Keegan Remy-Miller who are rostered for both series and making their Admirals debut this weekend.
Charlotte
The Charlotte Aviators are the scariest looking 0-6 team in the league. They are poised to bag some of their first wins this weekend at the superseries. This weekend will be a test of the Aviator’s grit and ability, with six games to play over two days against two very different opponents. However, their hardhitting ways and athleticism should put them over the edge against Ottawa. The Charlotte beating game has been anchored by veteran beater Celine Richard whose presence against New York notably slowed down the Titan’s scoring threats. Charlotte has a great depth of beating talent to be able to run depth while also keeping everyone fresh for two days of quidditch. Losing Tony Bonadio for the weekend will strain their beating lines. However, Wren Morgan and Jordi Sancho should see heavy minutes against Ottawa which will allow them to offset the minutes that Bonadio plays while also providing valuable play time for everyone else.
While the Black Bears have, so far, had a hard time matching their opponents’ level of play, they’ve consistently shown themselves to be the hardest working team on the pitch. If they continue to out-work their opponents, we may see some of their closest games yet this weekend.
Prediction:
Ottawa v Washington: 0-3
Ottawa v Charlotte: 0-3
